This invention relates to a cell-free process for producing isopenicillin N and isopenicillin N derivatives.
Isopenicillin N is a water soluble .beta.-lactam antibiotic having the formula: ##STR3## The aminoadipyl side chain is in the L-configuration in isopenicillin N. Penicillin N has a structure identical to isopenicillin N except that the aminoadipyl side chain is in the D-configuration.
Cell-free syntheses of penicillins and the related antibiotic cephalosporins are known in the art. A cell-free cephalosporin synthesis is disclosed in U.S. application Ser. No. 880,036 entitled Acellular Synthesis of Cephalosporins, filed Mar. 17, 1978, by A. L. Demain et al U.S. Pat. No. 4,178,210, issued Dec. 11, 1979. In Synthesis of .delta.-(.alpha.-Aminoadipyl)cysteinylvaline And Its Role In Pencillin Biosynthesis, Fawcett et al., Biochem. J. v. 157, p. 651 (1976), and Aspects of Cephalosporin and Penicillin Biosynthesis, Second Internat. Symp. Genetics of Industrial Microorganisms (K. D. MacDonald, ed) Academic Press, London, 1976, it is disclosed that .delta.(L-.alpha.-aminoadipyl)-L-cysteinylD-valine (hereinafter "LLD") can be converted by a cell-free extract to penicillin N.